Marcia Griffiths

Marcia Griffiths Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Marcia Griffiths is one of the most successful female vocalist in reggae music history. Known to many as the 'The Queen of Reggae', she started singing at a very young age, and was signed to Coxsone Dodd's, Studio One (Jamaica) while still a teenager.

Her first No. 1 'Feel Like Jumping' in Jamaican in 1968, was a massive success, and is still played today. She then became part of a duo with Bob Andy (Paragons), Bob and Marcia 'Young, Gifted And Black' in 1970 was a hit sold over half a million copies in the UK.

This record ensured crossover success and scaled the 1970 UK charts, taking reggae music, all over Europe. The follow-up, 'Pied Piper', in 1971 was more pop-oriented and a big hit in the UK.Griffiths made some classic records for High Note, Sonia Pottinger's label giving us, 'Naturally and Steppin'. By 1975, she joined Bob Marley's I-Threes backing vocalists, with Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt. She remained with Bob Marley, touring, and recording into the 1980's until his death. Returning to a full time solo career, in 1989, she came with 'Electric Boogie', a massive hit in the USA, which inspired 'The Electric Slide' dance craze.

For four decades she has recorded music, taking in all styles, from ska, classic reggae, to Electro Disco, and has worked over the last 40 years, with many of Jamaica's reggae greats, she continues to make music today.

Interview

The experience was everything I could have hoped it would be and more. Yes, our queen of reggae music Marcia Griffiths honoured me with the pleasure of her company one wet and rainy evening and I'm saying, without hesitation that we have a remarkable and extremely beautiful queen.

I didn't bombard her with yet another set of questions about things I could probably find out with a little research: instead we talked about issues that are prevalent in the world today. We talked of things that brought her great joy as well as those that did not.

Her strict upbringing from her father gave her a real sense of security in her youthful days (although that's not how she would have seen it at that time) and the gentleness of her mother, whom she describes as 'a peach' contributed to making her a well balanced individual. The joy in her voice as she reminisces about great times gone by, you just knew that there’s nobody she would have traded lives with as she feels so blessed with her own.

Marcia started singing in 1964 at the grand age of 12. She talks whimsically of her desperation to grow up quickly as she hated the confines that her father and grandmother’s strict upbringing placed on her. She would be chaperoned to every event and supervised throughout, whilst all she wanted was just to break out on her own and do her own thing. Her biography documents all her many achievements from this time including the 16 albums she has released and the works she has done with other greats in the music industry.

Our king of reggae, Bob Marley has contributed enormously to her recognition of her purpose and mission on this earth. He is forever a driving force in her life and when our queen talks of him she marvels at his awe, inspiration and magnetism, ‘whenever he walked into a place everybody in there could just feel his presence’.

‘Our music is the most powerful weapon’, and she emphasis the duty of artists and musicians to construct the content of their music in a positive way. The music has great influence and deeply impacts on young people whom Marcia feels have lost the basic love and respect that we held so strongly in days gone by. “Good morning” was a natural thing to say when we meet an elder and we would certainly not answer back when we were scorned (or certainly not to be heard!).

Marcia makes many references to the bible and wishes ‘we as a people should use it as a source of strength and guidance’.

She quotes a line from a record by Tony Rebel "be careful how you treat my little brother or sister for they could be the next prime minister" reminding us that god says that we are capable of doing all that we should do.

She states that she wants to make a difference and to be told that she has influenced the lives of others is the recognition and gratification she craves for. Our queen spoke of the pride she has in carrying that diadem and her mission to effect change in peoples lives through her music, for as long as possible and then further still. She spoke strong words of solidarity and strength in us as nation of people and how music should help us recognise.

When we talked about the aims and objectives of itzcaribbean.com Marcia was happy to know that we were striving to do something that would bring some unity to our communities and gave her full endorsement for our works and promised to help in whichever way she could to help us achieve success.

Long live the queen!